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Tuesday, December 12, 2023

12/12 WAKE-UP CALL: Trump Defense Makes It To Supreme Court

Special counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court to take up Donald Trump’s claim that he is immune from prosecution. Smith wants to head off the appeals process so the former president’s federal election-interference trial can start in March. The court took similar action when President Richard Nixon’s executive privilege claims threatened to stall a Watergate trial in 1974. Trump’s lawyers say he can’t face criminal charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election because the Senate acquitted him in a 2021 impeachment trial over claims he incited a crowd to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trying him again would amount to double jeopardy.

The criminal case alleges Trump tried to undermine the election’s outcome by organizing slates of fraudulent electors, pressuring officials to alter the results and other methods. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

➤HUNGER WIDESPREAD IN GAZA: Hunger was worsening among Palestinians in the besieged Gaza strip, aid agencies said, as the United Nations General Assembly prepared to vote on Tuesday on an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the two-month-old conflict between Israel and Hamas. Hundreds more civilians have died in Israel's assault on Gaza since the U.S. on Friday vetoed a Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire. 

Most of Gaza's 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes and residents say it is impossible to find refuge or food in the densely populated coastal enclave. The U.N. World Food Program has said half of the population is starving. Gazans said people forced to flee repeatedly were dying of hunger and cold as well as the bombardments, describing looting of aid trucks and sky high prices.

➤MOST AMERICANS SUPPORT ISRAEL: Israel says its instructions to people to move are among measures it is taking to protect civilians as it tries to root out Hamas militants who killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages in an Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel, according to Israeli tallies. About 100 hostages have since been freed. Most Americans back Israel in its war with Hamas, and just over a third say they are equally sympathetic to Israelis and Palestinians. Fifty-five percent said Israel is taking the military action needed to defend itself and prevent another attack by the U.S.-designated terror organization, compared with 25% who said Israel’s military action is disproportionate and going too far, according to a WSJ poll. Attitudes about the conflict reflect partisan and generational divides. Meanwhile, this year will likely top the prior national record for reported antisemitic incidents, said Brian Levin, founder of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, while anti-Muslim crimes are on track to hit their highest level since 2016, the second worst year behind 2001.

➤MILITARIES WEAKENED IN EUROPE:  Alarm grows over Europe’s weakened militaries and empty arsenals after two years of fighting in Ukraine. Budget cuts and an eroded weapons industry have hollowed out countries’ armed services. Since the Cold War ended, governments across the West tolerated the status quo because the U.S., with its vast military muscle, underpinned NATO and defense policy there. Now, Washington is increasingly isolationist, and Russia is a potential European threat.

➤GAZA IS HELL FOR WOMEN:  Gaza is the most dangerous place on Earth for women. Israel's military campaign in Gaza has turned the enclave into the most dangerous place in the world for women, according to the advocacy group ActionAid International. "Women and girls in Gaza are suffering from unprecedented levels of violence during the Israeli military escalation," a report by the organization said. Health officials in Gaza have estimated the total Palestinian death toll at about 18,000 and say about 70% are women and children. ActionAid says women and girls are being killed and injured at "horrific" rates, denied their basic rights to food, water and health care on a daily basis, and exposed to psychological stress and trauma after two months of "living in terror."

Kate Cox
➤TX WOMAN FLEES FOR ABORTION: A pregnant Texas woman seeking an abortion has left the state for the procedure after the state Supreme Court blocked her from receiving one, attorneys said Monday. Kate Cox, a mother of two from Dallas, is in her 21st week of pregnancy, and doctors have diagnosed her fetus with a fatal birth defect. They recommended an abortion to preserve her reproductive health – a procedure largely prohibited by Texas law. A court granted Cox an injunction to temporarily block the abortion bans and allow her to terminate the pregnancy; within hours, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed and the state Supreme Court paused the lower court's order, ultimately preventing Cox from seeking the procedure in Texas

➤GUARD MEMBERS DISCIPLINED: The Air Force disciplined 15 members of the National Guard after an investigation into the massive online leaks of classified information, allegedly by a Massachusetts airman, revealed a “lack of adequate supervision” and a “culture of complacency,” according to an inspector general’s report Monday. 

The leaks exposed embarrassing secrets and analysis from across the U.S. intelligence community involving Russia's war in Ukraine and North Korea's race to develop nuclear weapons. Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira has been charged with six counts of willful retention of defense records for allegedly sharing hundreds of classified documents through the social media platform Discord. He has pleaded not guilty.

➤N.H. MAN PLOTTED TO KILL PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, SUPPORTERS AT CAMPAIGN EVENT: DOJ: Tyler Anderson, a 30-year-old man from Dover, New Hampshire, was arrested and charged with transmitting threats through text messages against Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and attendees at a campaign event. The charges include transmitting threats to injure others. Anderson's arrest follows his response to a campaign notification text on December 8, where he allegedly threatened violence, stating, "Great, another opportunity for me to blow his brains out!" and making explicit threats against attendees. Anderson is scheduled for an initial appearance in federal court in Concord.



➤WRONGFULLY CONVICTED MINNESOTA MAN WALKS FREE AFTER ALMOST 20 YEARS IN PRISON: Marvin Haynes, a Minnesota man, was released from prison after spending nearly 20 years for a wrongful murder conviction in the 2004 shooting of Randy Sherer at a Minneapolis flower shop. Haynes, convicted at 16 based on eyewitness evidence, had his case reviewed by the Great North Innocence Project.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office acknowledged a violation of his right to due process, leading to his release. Witnesses recanted, and doubts were cast on the initial evidence, prompting authorities to set him free.

📺SNL COLD OPEN MOCKED: This was the weekend 'Saturday Night Live', on life-support for years, well and truly died. SNL's most recent cold open, ostensibly mocking the congressional testimony of three presidents at America's top universities - the smirkiest of whom, Liz Magill of UPenn, resigned in disgrace hours before airtime - took aim at the wrong target. Incredibly, outrageously, they made Elise Stefanik, the Republican congresswoman whose expert questioning revealed the depths of tolerated antisemitism on college campuses, look like the village idiot. No wonder SNL vet Cecily Strong, who played Stefanik in the dress rehearsal, pulled out after feeling 'uncomfortable' with the sketch. Portrayed in the live show by newcomer Chloe Troast as shrill, unhinged, atonal, unstylish and dumb - you know, everything SNL thinks of their flyover audience - this Stefanik, in SNL's alternate worldview, was on the wrong side of history..

🎥'BARBIE' LEADS GLOBE NOMS: 'Barbie' leads Golden Globe nominations  After conquering the summer box office, "Barbenheimer" is staging an Oscar-season sequel – beginning at the Golden Globes. Monday, "Barbie" earned nine nominations, including best comedy or musical and best actress for star Margot Robbie, while atomic bomb biopic "Oppenheimer" scored best drama as part of its eight nominations at the Golden Globe Awards airing Jan. 7. Fresh off a National Board of Review win for best film, Martin Scorsese's crime epic "Killers of the Flower Moon" scored seven total nods and is contending for top drama. 

🏈NFL TITANS 28 DOLPHINS 27:  Derrick Henry's second touchdown of the game tied the score and Nick Folk kicked the decisive extra point as the Tennessee Titans recovered from a late 14-point deficit to stun the Miami Dolphins 28-27 on Monday night at Miami Gardens, Fla. Tennessee (5-8) scored 15 points in the last three minutes to win on the road for the first time in seven attempts this season. Will Levis completed 23 of 38 passes for 327 yards, one touchdown and one interception and DeAndre Hopkins had seven receptions for 124 yards and a receiving touchdown for the Titans. Harold Landry recorded three sacks, including one on Miami's Tua Tagovailoa on fourth-and-2 with 20 seconds left to seal the upset. 

Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns -- both in a 60-second span of the fourth quarter. Tagovailoa finished 23 of 33 for 240 yards and Zach Sieler scored on an interception return for the Dolphins (9-4), who had a three-game winning streak end.

🏈NFL GIANTS 24 PACKERS 22: Randy Bullock kicked a game-winning, 37-yard field goal as time expired and Tommy DeVito had 229 yards of total offense as the New York Giants edged the Green Bay Packers 24-22 on Monday in East Rutherford, N.J., to stretch their winning streak to three games. Green Bay's Jordan Love threw a go-ahead 6-yard touchdown pass to Malik Heath with 1:33 remaining. The Packers failed on a two-point conversion attempt before their defense faltered.

A 32-yard connection between DeVito and Wan'Dale Robinson put the Giants (5-8) deep in Green Bay territory. Bullock's kick snapped a three-game winning streak for Green Bay (6-7), which committed three turnovers. New York's Saquon Barkley rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns, but a costly fumble at the end of a 34-yard run late in the fourth quarter gave the Packers the ball back. Carrington Valentine leapt over a stumbling Barkley without touching him, then returned the ball 50 yards to the New York 36 to set up the touchdown from Love to Heath.

⚾MUCH OF OHTANI COMPENSATION TO BE DEFERRED: Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers is actually worth $460 million because of its heavy deferrals, according to MLB’s calculations, a high-ranking executive with direct knowledge of the contract told USA TODAY Sports. Ohtani will be paid just $2 million a season for 10 years, two persons with direct knowledge of the contract said, with the deferred payments beginning in 2034 with no interest. The persons all spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details of the contract have not been officially announced. The deferred payments, easily the most in baseball history, permits the Dodgers to lower their luxury-tax salary from $70 million to just $46 million a year. The annual salary is calculated at $28 million because of the 10% interest rate used by the Basic Agreement. It was Ohtani’s idea to keep the payment low, two persons close to baseball star said, enabling the Dodgers to keep adding players to their payroll without the worry of luxury tax repercussions.

🏀SAN ANTONIO SPURS SET TEAM RECORD WITH 17TH STRAIGHT LOSS: Despite a strong defensive performance by the San Antonio Spurs, holding the Houston Rockets to low shooting percentages and points, the team faced a frustrating setback in a 93-82 loss. The Spurs set a franchise record with 17 consecutive losses. While the defense performed well, the offense struggled significantly, particularly in three-point shooting, going 5-of-41 (12.2%), contributing to the team's offensive woes during the game.

🏈SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS SECURE THIRD CONSECUTIVE PLAYOFF BERTH: For the third consecutive season and the fourth time in the past five years, the San Francisco 49ers will be playing in the postseason. By virtue of San Francisco's 28-16 win against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday and the Green Bay Packers' 24-22 loss to the New York Giants on Monday night, the Niners are the first team in the league to punch their ticket to the playoffs.




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